Meghalaya Education Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh Wednesday said implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act is a challenge due to the financial implications. “Implementation is a big problem, but we will leave no stone unturned to ensure RTE is implemented in spirit, participation and commitment,” Lyngdoh said. The RTE Act aims at to provide free and compulsory education to all children up to Class 8. Meghalaya, she said would need around Rs 100 crore for the first five-year from 2011 to 2015 to implement the RTE Act in which the state has to bear 45 percent fund. “We will be happy if the Centre relaxes the implementation of RTE Act, especially in terms of the funding pattern for cash strapped North Eastern states,” Lyngdoh, the lone woman cabine t minister in the Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance coalition government, said. However, the Meghalaya Education minister said that she would take up the issue (funding pattern) with the North East Education Ministers’ Forum to jointly sort out the funding pattern for the North Eastern States.Under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme, the funding pattern for the North Eastern States where the Centre-State funding will be 90:10. Lyngdoh, however, said that Meghalaya has taken one stride ahead to implement the RTE Act with preparation of GIS mapping to locate number of schools across the seven districts. “Challenges will always remain, but our preparation to implement the RTE started from last winter with officers attending various training programmes,” she added said.